Lee Curtis - Taint EP

A stunning EP which hacks the computer from Jeff Mills' time machine and sets the controls for the heart of the sun, driven by Alex Smoke's choppy, ricocheting style of minimal percussion. Contrasting clinically reduced kicks, snares and high hats with swooping space-age synths, Curtis creates an intensely danceable form of abstract techno that pings and boings its way across the minimal spectrum with aplomb. Resisting the urge for instant gratification, opener 3 Fingers builds fragmented, squashed and reverberating vocal samples, before stopping dead with a sultry voice apparently whispering "roof-box." It's one of those strange aural experiences that's only really comparable to watching porn backwards in the wrong colours with Marduk playing in the background. Far from right, but intriguing nonetheless.
Over the Influence uses similar squashed frog vocals and gnawing, insistent synths that are perfect for dark dancefloors. However, Trip to the Woods is the stand-out track; snappy, driving minimal with an edgy drum pattern and watery vibratos. Sweet. [Liam Arnold]